The use of optical fiber as an information transport medium allows for rugged, high-speed, noise-immune, low-power data communications over long distances. Even though coaxial cable and optical fiber are comparable in cost per foot, optical fiber has not been utilized for short- to medium-haul applications due to the high cost of providing connections at the fiber ends. One reason for the high cost is the critical tolerances needed for alignment of optoelectronic components to optical fibers which is necessary to provide high-performance interconnections to electronic switching and information processing machines and computers. Thus, there is a continuing need to improve the technology for interconnecting optical fibers to optoelectronic components.